Travel Guide Best Road Trips Italy

By Duncan Garwood, Brett Atkinson, Alexis Averbuck and 10 more

Discover the freedom of the open road with Lonely Planet's Italy's Best Road Trips. This trusted travel companion features 40 amazing drives, from 3-day escapes to 3-week adventures. Feel inspired by the Tuscan landscape, gaze across the Amalfi Coast and take in the majesty of the Dolomites. Get to Italy, rent a car, and hit the road!

Inside Lonely Planet's Italy's Best Road Trips:

Itineraries for classic road trips plus other lesser-known drives with expert advice to pick the routes that suit your interests and needs
Full-colour route maps - easy-to-read, detailed directions
Detours - delightful diversions to see Italy's highlights along the way

Link Your Trip - cruise from one driving route to the next

Insider tips - get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads
Stretch Your Legs - the best things to do outside the car

Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Lavish colour photography provides inspiration throughout

Covers Rome, Venice, Pompeii, Dolomites, Cinque Terre, Florence, Amalfi Coast, Lake Como, Valle d'Aosta, Tuscany, Milan, Piedmont, Italian Riviera, Abruzzo, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, Naples, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, and more

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Italy's Best Road Trips is perfect for exploring Italy via the road and discovering sights that are more accessible by car.

Planning an Italy trip sans a car? Lonely Planet's Italy, our most comprehensive guide to Italy, is perfect for exploring both top sights and lesser-known gems.

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Release date: Feb 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781837582792

Duncan Garwood

Duncan Garwood, escritor de viajes británico, ha vivido muchas experiencias únicas en sus viajes: desde enfrentarse a boleadores rápidos en Barbados hasta esquivar cerdos hambrientos en Goa. Actualmente pasa casi todo el tiempo en Italia, donde se estableció en 1997. Desde su base en las colinas de los Castelli Romani, cerca de Roma, ha recorrido infinitos kilómetros explorando los destinos más famosos del país y otros puntos más remotos, y ha trabajado en las guías de Roma, Cerdeña, Sicilia, Piamonte, y Nápoles y la Costa Amalfitana. Entre sus títulos para Lonely Planet se cuentan Italy’s Best Trips, Food Lover’s Guide to the World, y Pocket Bilbao & San Sebastian. También colabora con periódicos, webs y revistas italianos.

Book preview

Contents

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Italy

Our Picks

When to Go

Get Prepared for Italy

BY REGION

Grand Tour

World Heritage Wonders

NORTHERN ITALY

Savoy Palace Circuit

Gourmet Piedmont

Italian Riviera

Cinematic Cinque Terre

Northern Cities

The Graceful Italian Lakes

A Weekend at Lago di Garda

A Venetian Sojourn

Valpolicella Wine Country

Trieste to Sappada

ITALIAN ALPS

Meandering the Maritime Alps

Roof of Italy

Valle d’Aosta

Grande Strada delle Dolomiti

The Venetian Dolomites

CENTRAL ITALY

Roaming Around Rome

Abruzzo’s Wild Landscapes

Etruscan Tuscany & Lazio

Monasteries of Tuscany & Umbria

Green Heart of Italy

Piero della Francesca Trail

Tuscan Wine Tour

Tuscan Landscapes

Foodie Emilia-Romagna

SOUTHERN ITALY

Shadow of Vesuvius

Southern Larder

Amalfi Coast

Cilento Coastal Trail

Puglia’s Pilgrim Trail

Valle d’Itria

Salento Surprises

Across the Lucanian Apennines

The Calabrian Wilderness

THE ISLANDS

Wonders of Ancient Sicily

Sicilian Baroque

Sardinia’s South Coast

Emerald Coast

Historic Sardinia

TOOLKIT

Arriving

Getting Around

Accomodation

Cars

Safe Travel

Responsible Travel

Nuts & Bolts

Welcome to Italy

There’s no better place for an epic road trip than Italy. With your own car – an Alfa Romeo, say, or an open-top Fiat – you can experience the very best the bel paese (beautiful country) has to offer: romantic cities and iconic monuments, regional cuisines and a landscape that encompasses snow-capped peaks, remote wildernesses and swoon-inducing coastlines.

The 40 trips outlined in this book run the length and breadth of the country, leading from alpine passes to smoking Sicilian volcanoes, from hilltop towns in Tuscany to fishing villages on the Amalfi Coast. They stop off in high-profile cities and under-the-radar gems. And while some routes are more challenging than others, they all promise new discoveries and unforgettable adventures.

So whether you want to tour gourmet towns and historic vineyards, idyllic shorelines or pristine national parks, we have a trip tailor-made for you.

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Fjord of Furore, Amalfi Coast

Michele Rinaldi/shutterstock ©

Our Picks

ART, ARCHITECTURE AND RUINS

Home to some of the world’s greatest artistic and architectural masterpieces, Italy is a visual extravaganza. Everywhere you go, you’re reminded of the country’s tumultuous past, from ancient Roman ruins and martial monuments to majestic basilicas and breathtaking frescoes. Works by Renaissance heroes and baroque maestros grace churches, palaces and museums, while fountains and marble sculptures adorn medieval piazzas and cobbled streets.

CHURCH ART

You’ll find plenty of heavyweight art in Italy’s richly decorated churches, most of which are free to enter.

1 Grand Tour

A whistle-stop tour of Italy’s headline cities and their priceless treasures.

2 Northern Cities

Treasured Giotto frescoes, medieval cityscapes and Venetian canals await on this northern drive.

3 Piero della Francesca Trail

From Urbino to Florence, discover the frescoes of the Renaissance master.

4 Roaming Around Rome

Explore thrilling ruins and a perfectly preserved ancient city in Rome’s hinterland.

5 Wonders of Ancient Sicily

Pore over Greek temples, baroque basilicas and Byzantine jewels in sun-baked Sicily.

BOOK AHEAD

Book tickets online for popular attractions. Many places now require it and it will save queuing at the site.

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Roman Forum, Rome

Stefano_Valeri/shutterstock ©

MONDAY CLOSINGS

Many museums and attractions are closed on Mondays, including Florence’s Uffizi and Accademia galleries.

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Fresco by Giotto, Cappella degli Scrovegni, Padua

EQRoy/shutterstock ©

APERITIVI

Early evening aperitifs can be lavish affairs – buy a drink and dig into a rich spread of hot and cold dishes.

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Vineyards, Chianti, Tuscany

Peter Zelei Images/Getty Images ©

Our Picks

FOOD AND WINE

Superb produce, culinary traditions, and world-beating wines combine to make Italy a food-lover’s dream destination. Every region has its own treasured specialities, while graceful piazzas and scenic seashores provide a ready supply of romantic settings. So whether you’re tucking into pizza in a Neapolitan pizzeria, pasta in a Bolognese trattoria or Chianti at a Tuscan vineyard, you’re in for a tasty trip.

WINERY VISITS

Book ahead as walk-ins are not always accepted. Tasting fees may be waived if you buy some wine.

1 Gourmet Piedmont

Feast on cheese, chocolate, truffles and red wine in Italy’s Slow Food heartland.

2 Valpolicella Wine Country

A tasting tour of historic wineries in the vine-clad hills west of Verona.

3 Tuscan Wine Tour

Savour great reds as you traverse Tuscany’s Chianti wine country.

4 Foodie Emilia-Romagna

Taste iconic dishes and culinary specialities in foodie cities Parma, Bologna and Modena.

5 Southern Larder

Revel in decadent pastries, creamy mozzarella and lemon liqueurs on the Amalfi Coast.

MEAL TIMES

Italians typically sit down to pranzo (lunch) between 1pm and 2.30pm and cena (dinner) between 8pm and 9.30pm.

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Cheese market, Bra, Piedmont

Rostislav Glinsky/shutterstock ©

Our Picks

BEACHES AND COASTAL SCENERY

With four seas and a 7600km coastline, Italy boasts coastal marvels at every turn. From the plunging cliffs of the Amalfi Coast to the pastel villages of the Cinque Terre, from Sicily’s volcanic seascapes to Sardinia’s dreamy beaches, you’re sure to find somewhere to suit your style. Add crystal clear waters and a wide range of watersports and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a sunny seaside holiday.

FREE BEACH

You’ll have to pay to access private beach clubs. To go free, search out the spiaggia libera (free beach).

1 Cinematic Cinque Terre

A picture-perfect coastal stretch sets the backdrop for this week-long tour.

2 Amalfi Coast

Bask in the beauty of Italy’s celebrated coastline, a classic Mediterranean pin-up.

3 Salento Surprises

Join Italian holidaymakers and sun-loving beach-goers in Puglia’s summer playground.

4 Sardinia’s South Coast

Sardinia’s less-trodden southern seaboard reveals glorious scenery and idyllic beaches.

5 Emerald Coast

Watch out for celebs on the dazzling beaches of Sardinia’s northern coast.

ISLAND FERRIES

A fleet of ferries serve Italy’s many islands. Services and ticket prices increase in summer.

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Emerald Coast, Sardinia

Damiano Mariotti/shutterstock ©

BEACH ACCESS

Some of the best beaches can be hard to get to, accessible only by dirt track or via sea.

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Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

SimonSkafar/Getty Images ©

Our Picks

MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES

For a taste of the high life, buckle up and head to the mountains. Stunning roads weave through the Alps, Dolomites and central Apennines, snaking over hair-raising passes and through silent valleys framed by snowy summits. The driving can be challenging, but you’re rewarded with thrilling scenery and superlative sport: skiing and snowboarding in winter; hiking, climbing and cycling in the warmer seasons.

WINTER ROAD CLOSURES

High-altitude mountain passes such as the Passo dello Stelvio are often closed in winter, typically October to May.

1 Valle d’Aosta

Explore pristine national parkland en route to Mont Blanc, western Europe’s highest mountain.

2 Roof of Italy

Drive the fabled Passo dello Stelvio as you explore northern Italy’s high-altitude borderlands.

3 Grande Strada delle Dolomiti

This soaring drive winds through the epic landscapes of the Dolomites.

4 Abruzzo’s Wild Landscapes

Keep your eyes peeled for wolves and bears in Abruzzo’s remote national parks.

5 Across the Lucanian Apennines

Go off-piste in the tough mountain country of southern Basilicata.

SNOW CHAINS

Make sure to have snow chains and/or winter tyres when driving in the mountains between mid-October and mid-April.

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Passo dello Stelvio, Lombardy

Claudio Giovanni Colombo/shutterstock ©

Our Picks

VILLAS AND GARDENS

Ever since ancient times, Italy’s rulers have spared no expense in employing the top artists and architects of the day to design their residences. The result is a remarkable collection of imperial palaces, royal retreats, aristocratic mansions and lakeside villas. Many now house museums and important art collections as well as extensive gardens that can often be visited independently.

THE ORIGINAL PALACE

The word ‘palace’ derives from Palatium, the Latin name for the Palatine Hill, site of the imperial palace in Rome.

1 World Heritage Wonders

Visit imperial palaces and art-filled palazzi (mansions) in Rome, Siena, Florence and Venice.

2 Savoy Palace Circuit

Tour the Savoy family’s royal palaces in Turin and the Piedmontese countryside.

3 The Graceful Italian Lakes

The villas and gardens of Italy’s northern lakes promise romance and elegant floral displays.

4 A Venetian Sojourn

Andrea Palladio’s Renaissance villas impress on this drive through Veneto’s wine country.

5 Amalfi Coast

Swoon at the views from Ravello’s hilltop gardens, high above the Amalfi Coast.

FLOWERING SEASON

Italy’s gardens are at their most seductive in April, May and early June.

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La Rotonda, Vicenza

Giancarlo Peruzzi/shutterstock ©

When to Go

Hit the road in spring and autumn for magnificent colours, blissful temperatures and brilliant food.

Spring and autumn are the best periods for road-tripping, sightseeing, and seasonal food. The weather’s pleasant and, away from the main cities, the driving is pretty easy going. Summer is good for festivals and beach-going but watch out for heavy traffic on the coast and on the main north–south arteries, particularly on August weekends. Winter brings the risk of snow and ice in mountainous areas. Routes into major ski resorts are well maintained, but high-altitude passes are often shut for the season. Heavy rain, which can strike anytime, can make driving challenging, particularly on smaller rural roads where potholes are a perennial hazard.

I LOVE...

DRIVING HERE

Duncan Garwood

Lonely Planet writer

A favourite memory is of my first drive through Abruzzo. It was winter and everything was blanketed in thick snow. The leg from Sulmona to Pescasseroli was particularly special: it was a beautiful blue-sky day, biting cold but sunny and crystal clear, and with virtually no one else on the roads I had the stunning mountain scenery all to myself. It was truly magical.

Another great trip was a spring drive along Sardinia’s south coast. The colours were incredible: the vivid yellows and reds of the wildflowers, and the glorious blues of the sea and sky.

Accommodation

There’s no precisely defined high and low season in most Italian cities. As a general rule, accommodation is cheapest between November and March. On the coast, prices skyrocket in August, so try to come in June, early July or September. Book early for the best deals.

Snowfall

Unseasonably high temperatures delayed winter snowfalls in 2023, but you can usually expect snow in the Alps and Apennines from November or December through March, possibly even later. It also snows at lower altitudes, although when and how much is far less predictable.

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Carnevale, Venice

lauravr/shutterstock ©

Hot Winds

In southern or central Italy, it’s not uncommon to wake up on a spring or summer morning and find your car dusted in sand. This is due to the scirocco, a hot wind that blows in from north Africa bringing sand from the Sahara Desert.

DROUGHT

Images of Venice’s canals running dry in February 2023 shone a stark light on the water situation in northern Italy. A severe drought in summer 2022 was followed by a dry winter in 2023, leading to alarmingly low levels in many lakes and rivers.

BLOCKBUSTER EVENTS

Carnevale In the run-up to Lent, Carnevale sees an outbreak of partying, dressing up and extravagant parades. Masked balls are staged in Venice and giant papier-mâché floats are paraded around Viareggio. February

Pasqua Easter is celebrated across the country with solemn processions and explosive firework displays. In Rome, the Pope leads a candlelit procession on Good Friday and gives his traditional blessing on Easter Sunday. March or April

Il Palio di Siena Costumed horse riders thrill the crowds as they race bareback around Siena’s showcase piazza. Emotions run high amid all the medieval pomp and pageantry. July and August

Estate Romana Rome’s historic streets and ancient monuments set a unique backdrop for a summer season of events, concerts and performances. June to September

Weather Watch

JANUARY

Avg daytime max: 12°C.

Days of rainfall: 7 (Rome)

FEBRUARY

Avg daytime max: 13°C.

Days of rainfall: 7 (Rome)

MARCH

Avg daytime max: 16°C.

Days of rainfall: 7 (Rome)

APRIL

Avg daytime max: 19°C.

Days of rainfall: 7 (Rome)

MAY

Avg daytime max: 23°C.

Days of rainfall: 6 (Rome)

JUNE

Avg daytime max: 27°C.

Days of rainfall: 4 (Rome)

JULY

Avg daytime max: 31°C.

Days of rainfall: 3 (Rome)

AUGUST

Avg daytime max: 31°C.

Days of rainfall: 3 (Rome)

SEPTEMBER

Avg daytime max: 27°C.

Days of rainfall: 7 (Rome)

OCTOBER

Avg daytime max: 22°C.

Days of rainfall: 8 (Rome)

NOVEMBER

Avg daytime max: 17°C.

Days of rainfall: 9 (Rome)

DECEMBER

Avg daytime max: 13°C.

Days of rainfall: 8 (Rome)

Get Prepared for Italy

Useful things to load in your bag, your ears and your brain

Clothing

Staples For driving and daytime sightseeing, comfort is key, so keep it casual and loose. For going out in the evening, smart casual is the way to go: trousers and shirts or polos for men; skirts, trousers or dresses for women. In summer, shorts, T-shirts and sandals are fine for sightseeing and relaxed beachside lounging. Bring a light waterproof jacket for spring and autumn, and cold-weather gear for winter.

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DendraCreative/shutterstock ©

Comfy shoes Practical shoes are a must as cobblestones and uneven surfaces can play havoc with ankles – Pompeii in heels is not a good idea. As a general rule, pack a pair of shoes or trainers for daytime use and a smarter pair for the evening.

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Kartinkin77/shutterstock ©

Accessories Sunglasses are essential for long hours behind the wheel, particularly along the coast or high in the mountains. A hat can be a summer lifesaver too, especially at the big archaeological sites where it can get ferociously hot and there’s often little shade.

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The_Molostock/shutterstock ©

Dress codes Many religious sites enforce dress codes, so if you want to get into St Peter’s Basilica in Rome or Venice’s Basilica di San Marco, play it safe and cover your shoulders, torso and thighs.

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Anton Starikov/shutterstock ©

WATCH

La grande bellezza

(Paolo Sorrentino; 2013) Lavish depiction of Rome as a complex, beautiful city with a morally bankrupt heart.

Inspector Montalbano

(1999–2021) Hugely popular TV series starring a food-loving detective and stunning baroque locations in southeastern Sicily.

Call Me By Your Name

(Luca Guadagnino; 2017) Timothée Chalamet adorns several north Italian locations in this languid love story.

A Room with a View

(James Ivory; 1985) Florence provides the alluring backdrop to this tale of passion in 19th-century Tuscany.

Pane e Tulipani

(Silvio Soldini; 2000) A sweet, slow-burning romance set in the seductive streets of Venice.

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Padua

Ajdin Kamber/shutterstock ©

Words

ciao hi/bye (informal)

buongiorno/buonasera good morning/good evening

arrivederci goodbye

per favore please

grazie thank you

prego you’re welcome

scusa/scusi excuse me (informal/formal)

Non capisco I don’t understand

Parla inglese? Do you speak English?

una macchina a car

noleggiare to hire

manuale/automatico manual/automatic

Quanto costa? How much is it?

assicurazione insurance

incidente accident

Come si arriva a …? How do you get to ….?

destra right

sinistra left

dritto straight ahead

semaforo traffic light

Dove posso parcheggiare? Where can I park?

benzina petrol

gasolio diesel

benzinaio petrol station

Il pieno, per favore Fill it up, please

LISTEN

Rush!

(Måneskin; 2023) The third album by Italy’s all-conquering glam rockers topped charts across Europe.

Viva la Taranta

(Orchestra Popolare La Notte della Taranta; 2015) A live album introducing the mesmeric sounds of Pugliese folk music.

La voce del padrone

(Franco Battiato; 1981) The best-selling album that catapulted Italy’s much-loved singer-songwriter to pop superstardom.

The Three Tenors in Concert

(Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo; 1990) The first and most successful of the maestros’ collaborations.

READ

My Brilliant Friend

(Elena Ferrante; 2012) An international bestseller chronicling the friendship between two girls in postwar Naples.

La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind

(Beppe Severgnini; 2007) Journalist Severgnini wittily explains the Italian mindset.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

(Mary Beard; 2015) Celebrity classicist brings ancient Rome to life in this authoritative history.

Vroom with a View

(Peter Moore; 2011)Australian travel writer Moore pootles through Italy on a 1960s Vespa.

ROAD TRIPS

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Corvara, Alta Badia, the Dolomites

CHEN MIN CHUN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Contents

Grand Tour

World Heritage Wonders

NORTHERN ITALY

ITALIAN ALPS

CENTRAL ITALY

SOUTHERN ITALY

THE ISLANDS

01

Grand Tour

BEST FOR HISTORY

Rome, the repository of over 2000 years of European history.

From the Savoy palaces of Turin and Leonardo’s The Last Supper to the disreputable drinking dens of Genoa and pleasure palaces of Rome, the Grand Tour is part scholar’s pilgrimage and part rite of passage. Offering a chance to view some of the world’s greatest masterpieces and hear Vivaldi played on 18th-century cellos, it’s a rollicking trip filled with the sights, sounds and tastes that have shaped European society for centuries.

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Link your trip

24 Tuscan Wine Tour

Linger in the bucolic hills around Florence and enjoy fine gourmet dining and world-renowned wine-tasting.

29 Amalfi Coast

Play truant from high-minded museums and head south from Naples for the Blue Ribbon drive on the Amalfi Coast.

01 TURIN

In his travel guide, Voyage Through Italy (1670), travel writer and tutor Richard Lassels advocated a grand cultural tour of Europe, and in particular Italy, for young English aristocrats, during which the study of classical antiquity and the High Renaissance would ready them for future influential roles shaping the political, economic and social realities of the day.

First they travelled through France before crossing the Alps at Mt Cenis and heading to Turin (Torino), where letters of introduction admitted them to the city’s agreeable Parisian-style social whirl. Today Turin’s tree-lined boulevards retain their elegant, French feel and many gilded cafes, such as Caffè Al Bicerin (bicerin.it), still serve its signature coffee and chocolate drink – as it has since the 1760s.

Like the Medicis in Florence (Firenze) and the Borghese in Rome (Roma), Turin’s Savoy princes had a penchant for extravagant architecture and interior decor. You suspect they also pined for their hunting lodges in Chambéry, France, from where they originated, as they invited André Le Nôtre, Versailles landscaper, to design the gardens of Palazzo Reale (museireali.beniculturali.it) in 1697.

  THE DRIVE

The two-hour (170km) drive to Genoa is all on autostrada, the final stretch twisting through the mountains. Leave Turin following signs for the A55 (towards Alessandria), which quickly merges with the A21 passing through the pretty Piedmontese countryside. Just before Alessandria turn south onto the A26 for Genoa/Livorno.

  DETOUR

Milan

Start: 01 Turin

No Grand Tour would be complete without a detour up the A4 to Milan (Milano) to eyeball Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic mural The Last Supper (cenacolovinciano.net). Advance booking is essential (booking fee €2).

From his Portrait of a Young Man (c 1486) to portraits of Duke Ludovico Sforza’s beautiful mistresses, The Lady with Ermine (c 1489) and La Belle Ferronière (c 1490), Leonardo transformed the rigid conventions of portraiture to depict highly individual images imbued with naturalism. Then he evolved concepts of idealised proportions and the depiction of internal emotional states through physical dynamism (St Jerome), all of which cohere in the masterly Il Cenacolo.

While you’re here, take time to walk around other parts of the city, too.

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Palazzo Reale, Turin

Tara Van Der Linden Photo/shutterstock ©

02 GENOA

Some travellers, shy of crossing the Alps, might arrive by boat in Genoa (Genova). Despite its superb location, mild microclimate and lush flora, the city had a dubious reputation. Its historic centre was a warren of dark, insalubrious caruggi (narrow streets), stalked by prostitutes and beggars, while the excessive shrewdness of the Genovese banking families earned them a reputation, according to author Thomas Nugent, as ‘a treacherous and over-reaching set of people’.

And yet with tourists and businessmen arriving from around the world, Genoa was, and still is, a cosmopolitan place. The Rolli Palaces, a collection of grand mansions originally meant to host visiting popes, dignitaries and royalty, made Via Balbi and Strada Nuova (now Via Giuseppe Garibaldi) two of the most famous streets in Europe. Visit the finest of them, the Palazzo Spinola (palazzospinola.beniculturali.it) and the Palazzo Reale (palazzorealegenova.beniculturali.it). Afterwards stop for sweets at Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano (romanengo.com).

  THE DRIVE

This 365km drive takes most of the day, so stop for lunch in Cremona. Although the drive is on autostrada, endless fields of corn line the route. Take the A7 north out of Genoa and at Tortona exit onto the A21 around industrial Piacenza to Brescia. At Brescia, change again onto the A4 direct to Padua.

03 PADUA

Bound for Venice (Venezia), Grand Tourists could hardly avoid visiting Padua (Padova), although by the 18th century international students no longer flocked to Palazzo Bo (unipd.it/en/guidedtours), the Venetian Republic’s radical university where Copernicus and Galileo taught.

You can visit the university’s claustrophobic, wooden anatomy theatre (the first in the world), although it’s no longer de rigueur to witness dissections on the average tourist itinerary. Afterwards don’t forget to pay your respects to the skulls of noble professors who donated themselves for dissection due to the difficulty involved in acquiring fresh corpses. Their skulls are lined up in the graduation hall.

Beyond the university the melancholy air of the city did little to detain visitors. Even Giotto’s spectacular frescoes in the Cappella degli Scrovegni (cappelladegliscrovegni.it), where advance reservations are essential, were of limited interest as medieval art was out of fashion, and only devout Catholics ventured to revere the strange relics of St Anthony in the Basilica di Sant’Antonio (basilicadelsanto.org).

  THE DRIVE

Barely 40km from Venice, the drive from Padua is through featureless areas of light industry along the A4 and then the A57.

I

Photo Opportunity

Florence’s multicoloured, marble duomo (cathedral).

04 VENICE

Top of the itinerary, Venice at last! Then, as now, La Serenissima’s watery landscape captured the imagination of travellers. At Carnevale (carnevale.venezia.it) in February numbers swelled to 30,000; now they number in the hundreds of thousands. You cannot take your car onto the lagoon islands so leave it in a secure garage in Mestre, such as Garage Europa Mestre (garageeuropamestre.com), and hop on the train to Venice Santa Lucia where water taxis connect to all the islands.

Aside from the mind-improving art in the Gallerie dell’Accademia (gallerieaccademia.it) and extraordinary architectural masterpieces such as the Palazzo Ducale, the Campanile, Longhena’s Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute and the glittering domes of the Basilica di San Marco (basilicasanmarco.it), Venice was considered an exciting den of debauchery. Venetian wives were notorious for keeping handsome escorts (cicisbeo), and whole areas of town were given over to venality. One of Venice’s best restaurants, Antiche Carampane (antichecarampane.com), is located in what was once a den of vice, so called because of the notorious brothel at Palazzo Ca’ Rampani.

Eighteenth-century tourists would inevitably have stopped for coffee at the newly opened Caffè Florian (caffeflorian.com) and paid a visit to the opera house, Teatro La Fenice (teatrolafenice.it), to hear groundbreaking concerts now being revived by the Venice Music Project (venicemusicproject.it).

  THE